"He who robs his father or his mother and says, "It is not a transgression," is the companion of a man who destroys."
Teamwork, hard work, leadership, and most other great qualities are learned in the home while you are young and so are rebellion, stealing, lying, and laziness. Solomon writes to make sure that young people do not minimize taking money, goods, possessions, or other items from their parents just because they are their parents.
There is also, in here, the warning that parents should not look the other way when a child takes from them what they have not gotten permission to take. This is how stealing starts and if there is not a strong penalty at the beginning, then a permissive message can be sent to a child. You must stop the idea that stealing is a small thing. It is a big thing. It cannot be tolerated.
Solomon links the person who steals from those they love and know -- their parents -- and the person who destroys through violence and intimidation. The person who steals destroys. They are selfishly seeking benefit by damaging or harming someone they know. It is a form of destruction.
Our culture treats stealing as no big deal and, therefore, we have more stealing. We do not demand that a person who steals publicly apologize to the person they wronged. We do not demand that they pay restitution, let alone the double restitution that the biblical ideal talks about.
Right now the biggest form of stealing are employees stealing from the company that employs them. Stealing tools, office supplies, time, effort, calls, etc. Somehow we feel that since they are big it won't matter; we are okay taking what is theirs for our own benefit. This is wrong. Do the best you can by working when you are working and making a separation of the things that belong to your employer and the things that do not. Do not become the companion of those who destroy or you might destroy your financial security.
If you find yourself having stolen something from your parents, employer, church, etc., return it. If you can't return it, pay for it. Apologize for "using it" and start a new relationship with them.
Until tomorrow,
Gil Stieglitz